Geoff Glover celebrated his 100th Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship start in his Vauxhall Astra RWD on the opening round of the 2019 series, the Tour of Epynt – which was, you have to admit, a truly remarkable achievement.
Fast forward to today and the Middlesbrough maestro is preparing to tackle his 120th Protyre Asphalt event in the same car – with the forthcoming Manx National Rally (10/11 May) also being his 25th event on the Isle of Man!
Geoff has supported the Protyre Asphalt Championship pretty much since its inception, with the only breaks coming in 2001 (foot-and-mouth), 2017 (series sabbatical) and 2020 (Covid).
Geoff and his late father Ron built the car themselves from an Astra Mk3 shell they purchased in 1997. They immediately set about re-designing it for rear-wheel drive, with the concept of powering it with a 2-litre red top engine that Geoff had been using in an Opel Manta for mixed surface rallying in the north of England.
After a couple of local single venues to set the suspension and handling up for asphalt rallying, Geoff made his Asphalt Rally Championship debut on his local Tyneside Stages on Otterburn in August 1998. Despite a DNF, Geoff loved the challenge of national asphalt rallying and was hooked.
Geoff has been partnered by only a few different co-drivers over the last 26 years. Between 1998-2009 his lifelong friend Charlie Turner endured the highs and lows of 63 rounds of the championship. For the next couple of years Bob Brown, a fellow member of Whitby & DMC, navigated, and from then on it’s been Keith Barker in the hot seat.
Geoff has spent thousands of hours in his garage preparing and improving the car between events, and it is always immaculately turned out – outside, inside, underneath and under the bonnet – to the point where many even today think that the car is a new build.
Despite battling against more powerful Escort Mk2s, Geoff is always a leading contender for the class B11 Protyre Asphalt title.
His first class win came on the 2002 Manx (the year that he finished second in class B11, sixth overall in the main drivers’ standings and second in the Clubmans’ standings behind John Price in a Metro 6R4). He then won the class and RWD titles for the first time in 2003.
In 2009 Geoff finished a career best fifth in the main overall driver standings and won the class B11 title again. He won the class title for a third time in 2016 and remains ultra-competitive – finishing third in 2021 and 2022 and second in class last year.
“I have loved the challenge of preparing my rear-wheel drive Vauxhall Astra Mk3, maintaining it and presenting it too the highest standard at every rally,” says Geoff.
“Last year on Rali Ceredigion I was awarded best presented car in the championship, despite competing in the car for the last twenty-six years.
“I can think of a better way of celebrating 120 rounds in the Asphalt Championship than competing on my favourite rally, the Manx National in May.”
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